Double Trouble
by Rae1
Summary: (Complete) Sorry, Mini-me that it took so long. Problems uploading. Ken and Takeru: kidnapped by idiots. Sexual tension and relationships resolved in the last few chapters. Some humor. Bad language. Shounen-ai, shoujo-ai. Daishiro/Taken/Miyami...and more
1. Dealing with the ratpack

Author: Rae

Title: Double Trouble 

Dedicated to Mini-me, who wanted a Daishiro/Kenkeru

Dealing with the RatPack

Daisuke grinned, eyeing his best friend with ill-concealed mischief. "No, Daisuke."

"Please, Ken? With sugary gumdrops on top?" The redhead bit his lip pleadingly, his eyes wide and pathetic. Ken was on the verge of giving in when he saw the triumph on his friend's face.

"No." He turned away, ignoring the hurt look on Daisuke's face. "Stop trying to sucker me into this. You made the mess, now lay in it."

"That is so cold. I can't believe you won't help me with this. You could tutor me instead of Koushiro, and then I wouldn't have to worry about him looking down on me."

The blue-haired genius sighed. "He won't look down on you, Dai. He's a nice guy. I should know. We've spoken several times."

"Yeah, but you're smart like he is. You don't have to worry about him thinking you're dumb."

"Why the big worry, Dai? Why is it so important that he see you in a good light?"

Brown eyes widened, and the redhead looked away. "It's not."

______________________

"Hey, Takeru?" The blonde turned, watching with an apprehensive look as Daisuke toed the dirt at their feet. 

"You got my name right. What do you want?" They were on the sidewalk outside of the school, waiting for rides from their siblings. "And don't think for a minute that I won't say no, either. You only sidle up to me when you want something. I have no money, and no food. Or does this have something to do with having to be tutored by Izzy?"

"It's not that. I don't have a problem going over there. Even if it is the most boring, drawn-out, mind-numbing thing I've ever done." The redhead frowned sadly, looking up at the blonde with a pitiful expression. "Although the favor I want to ask of you may have something to do with the fact that I'm grounded during the week until I bring my grades up."

"Dude, Daisuke. Koushiro isn't that bad, and you've only met with him once. Maybe you'll even learn something, though heavens forbid you should actually want to." The redhead frowned, then sighed, swallowing the retort that had been on the tip of his tongue. 

"Let's skip all that, dude. I wanted to know if you'd hook up with Ken." Takeru swallowed, feeling his eyes growing wide and his throat run dry. "Not like that! I meant to ask if you'd go over there, and spend some time with him. We used to spend afternoons together after school, and I don't know what he's going to do without me."

"That sounds really egotistical, Dai."

"I don't even care what that word means. Will you just check up on him for me? Please? Go to the library with him or something."

"I might be able to manage that. Don't think that I'm doing this just because you remembered my name, either. It won't work every time." Jun pulled up, and waited for Daisuke to get in. The redhead gave one last look at the blonde and grinned. 

"Of course you're not doing this for me." He opened the door and leaned over it, whispering so that his sister didn't hear what he said. "You're doing it because he's too damn sexy to resist." Before Takeru could say anything, his friend was in the car with the door shut, driving away.

_______________________

"Hey! TR!" Takeru sighed and turned around, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Daisuke was making his way down the hall, shoving people out of his way and mumbling his apology. He was grinning broadly, his bottom lip split. His shirt was ripped on the bottom, and he had a smear of dirt on his left cheek.

"What happened to you?" The blonde smiled, and Dai shrugged. "Wait until everyone else sees you." 

"Crap!" The redhead groaned. He scanned the halls for signs of the group. "Man, clean me up." Blue eyes peered at him wordlessly. "Please? Pretty please with cream cheese?"

Takeru laughed, both at the plea and the sorry expression on Dai's face. "Whatever. Hold still." He pulled a Kleenex from his back pocket, and wiped at Dai's face. "So? What happened?"

"Well-" He paused and winced as Takeru touched his lip with the tissue. "Some creep started knocking on Izzy in the hall. Ouch!" Brown eyes glared at Takeru as he put more pressure on his lip to get the dirt and dried blood off. 

"And you had to defend him?"

"Duh! Of course! He ignored them as if it didn't matter. They were picking on the fact that he's a genius, and he doesn't do sports, and all that." The blonde made a sound of agreement, and moved onto his cheek. "And he said that it didn't matter, but it hurt him. I could see-Ouch! I could see it, but he just walked away."

"That's kind of the way he is, Dai. He's not big on confrontation, or speaking his mind or defending himself."

"I know. That's what I'm for."

"What's that?"

"To protect him."

"Really?" Daisuke looked over his shoulder and swallowed as he gazed into black eyes. Koushiro went on. "I wasn't aware that I needed defending."

"According to the guy in the nurse's office, you now have a body guard whether you want one or not." Taichi slung a companionable arm around Daisuke's shoulders. "The kid has a broken nose, and is whining that he broke fingers when he punched Dai."

"I knew that that hard head would serve a purpose someday." Takeru grinned as he finished. Tai smiled, and Koushiro looked down at the other redhead. 

"For defending my honor, I thank you."

"My pleasure."

"You guys are too cute." Miyako stepped between them, and slung an arm around both their waists. "Our adorable little redheads, getting along for a change. We need a picture, guys. Who has the camera?"

"Tai broke it. Again." Hikari gave her brother a mock glare. "He decided to use it as a soccer ball, and kicked it through the window."

"Liar, liar, pants on fire. I dropped it out the window when you threw the clock at my head."

"You shouldn't have dumped your pop on my homework."

"You shouldn't have done your homework on the back of my research paper."

"If I hadn't typed it for you, it wouldn't have been in my bag." Tai paused, looked at his sister, and sighed.

"I'll buy you a new camera." She smiled in triumph, and then hooked an arm through his. "Now what?"

"Can't I hug my only brother?" She questioned with a guilty defensiveness. He raised an eyebrow, and she laughed. "I want one of those professional cameras, with the multi-focus lens."

"You want me to spend an arm and a leg to replace a thirty dollar camera?" She bit her lip and eyed him hopefully. "You are so lucky that I love you."

"Brothers are the best!" She looked at Koushiro and winked. "Friends are good, too. I heard about Dai breaking that kid's arm. The principal is in a tiff."

Daisuke opened his mouth to state that it had really only been a split lip, but the crackling of the intercom system stopped him when his name was paged over it. He sighed and headed in the direction of the administrative office. "Stay out of trouble this time!" Hikari watched as her friend turned, waved, and disappeared around the corner.

"Let's hope he listens." Takeru shut his locker. 

"I doubt it. He never does." The computer genius smiled.

"And you sound so upset." Tai eyed him slyly. "What else is he good for, if he never listens?"

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Yagami. He listens to the important things." He paused, realized that his friends were staring at him, and them blushed. "I'll see you guys later." The others laughed as he walked away, his cheeks pink.

"That was interesting." Takeru started to walk away. The others caught the wistfulness in his voice and followed eagerly.

"Is Take-kun lonely?" The blonde glared at Miyako, but ignored the question otherwise. She turned to the brunettes walking with them. "Guys, I think that our little buddy needs a date." She turned back to him, smiling at the look in his eyes. "Do you have anyone in mind, Takeru?"

When he didn't respond, Hikari sidled up next to him. "We can help, Takeru."

"I can't believe that you, my best friend, would go along with this." She grinned, and he stopped. "I like someone. I will eventually ask him out. Until then, I would appreciate it if you would all back off." With that, he stomped away.

"Him? Did anyone else catch that?" The purple-haired girl grinned. "He is so not getting away with that. I'll know who it is by the end of the day."

"Ken." Tai answered without thinking.

"He told you, but wouldn't tell me? That is just wrong." Hikari folded her hands on her hips. Tai shook his head. 

"He didn't tell me, but it's rather obvious. You'd have to be blind not to see it." He grinned at the unamused looks on their faces. "Yama told me."

"Jerk." His sister hit him on the arm.

"For what?"

"You don't need a reason to be a jerk, Tai. By now, I think it's a natural reaction to every situation." A new voice interrupted 

"Ishida." Brown eyes glared into amused blue. "You're supposed to be on my side."

"Says who?" Tai looked at him for a moment, eyes dark. "Fine. Sorry. Next time you get into an argument, I'll agree with you no matter what."

"Just remember that next time." Tai wagged a finger at him, and then ducked into the nearest classroom. Yamato went to follow, but Miyako stopped him

"What's this about Ken and Takeru?" He rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Spill it, Matt."

"Because Daisuke's grounded, and Koushiro is tutoring him, Ken's kind of been left alone. He was afraid that Ken would suffer from some sort of loneliness, so he sent my little brother after him to keep him company. Takeru liked him, and has since then realized that his affection for Ken has grown. The only problem being: they hung out, but didn't delve deeply into each other's lives. TK doesn't know if Ken likes him, or could like him."

"Ken's not a phobe, I mean, he and Dai are still really close, and he doesn't act any different towards him since he came out." Miyako pointed out logically. "Of course, I don't think that Dai ever **seriously** hit on him, either."


	2. Tweedle Dumb, and Tweedle Dumber

Tweedle Dumb, and Tweedle Dumber

"We were supposed to turn left!"

"No. The map said that we go right."

"But the directions he gave us said to go left!"

"Do you have to question every decision I make?"

"Since you always make the wrong one, it's a good thing that I do!"

"…"

"Pull the van over!"

"Why?"

"So I can beat your as to a bloody pulp, that's why!"

"Shut the hell up! Open your mouth again, and you can walk!"

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Watch me."

Takeru and Ken looked at each other in amusement, listening to their captors arguing in the front of the van. It had started with periodic rebukes between both men, and then progressed into slaps on the arm and name-calling. Ken was rather impressed with their vocabulary when it came to insults. 

"I hope that they don't continue like this the whole trip." Takeru sighed, rubbing his temple. "I don't think that my sanity could survive this for more than a couple of hours."

"TK, we've only been in here for two." Ken pointed out logically, pushing a button on his watch so that the face glowed, and they could see the time. 

"That's two hours too long, if you ask me. This whole thing is ridiculous."

"Why do you say that?" 

"Because we have two of the dumbest kidnappers on the face of the planet, who not only kidnapped us in broad daylight in front of your home, on a public street, but drive a very distinct van, argue continuously, and allowed us to keep a form of communication with the outside world."

"And your point would be?" Ken smiled slightly. "So they're not the brightest of the bunch. It doesn't mean that this isn't well-thought out, or that they don't have some clue about what they're doing." 

"No, it only means that any plan of theirs is bound to fail. With the way they talk, Dai and the gang will be able to rescue us in no time."

"Let's hope." 

"You don't have faith in our friends?"

"Of course I trust them. They'll be here to rescue us in no time. Daisuke would never let something like this stand in his way of beating me at soccer." He laughed lightly, and Takeru watched as his eyes crinkled and his lips curled. It had been a long time since he'd seen Ken laugh, and it was, he decided, a beautiful thing.

"Here." Ken held out his hand, palm up. The blonde took the small object and eyed it wearily. "It's a blinking body light. It flashes red and green. In case we find a way to escape tonight, or tomorrow before the others get here, we can find each other in the dark. Let it blink green three times, and then turn it off. Then you move far enough away to see my light, or one of the kidnappers if they see it too."

"That way you're not a sitting duck, and we can regroup, and run away together."

"Right."

"Where did you get these?" Takeru turned the front part of the little cylinder, and watched as it started flashing. He turned it off quickly, watching the two in the front to make sure that they hadn't seen it.

"Daisuke gave them to me as a gift last year. We were talking about starting high school, and I said that I'd probably be lost in the crowd. He gave me these so that I would always stand out. We have a whole code associated with them."

"Sounds neat." Takeru hooked it onto the brim of his hat, smiling when Ken placed the matching light on the lapel of his jacket. "Maybe you could teach it to me someday."

"Maybe." The violet gaze that met his was warm and sincere. Takeru gazed back at him, getting lost in the depth of his eyes. They smiled softly at each other in the shadows. They were thrown off the bench suddenly when the van squealed to a stop, and swerved to the side of the road.

"I told you that that was our turn!"

"Did not! You said that it was up ahead farther."

Takeru crawled to wear Ken was sprawled against the door, holding his head. "Are you okay?"

The genius sat up, using the hand not held to his head to support himf. "I'm fine. Just hit my head." The blonde moved an arm around his shoulder, and helped him to his feet, then led him back to the bench seat. 

"Is he alright?" The driver turned to ask. He didn't sound overly concerned. The first one, the one with the ball cap, moved out of his chair, and started toward them. Takeru defensively sat between Ken and them, glaring as the first approached. 

"He's fine, no thanks to you and your friend. He's not bleeding, and he's coherent." Takeru wasn't aware that he was holding Ken protectively to his side. The guy went to reach out, but the blonde slapped his hand away. "He's fine, so back off." 

"Ah. Hey, Bern, the blonde is guarding his little friend. I don't think that he likes me." Blue eyes simply glared at him, daring him to try to touch either of them again. "Let's turn around and get going. It's starting to get dark out."

"Okay. Watch the map a little closer this time, would ya?" The van started back up, and they braced themselves as it turned around. They turned sharply to the left, and then sped up, moving into the twilight at a fast clip.

Ken had wrapped his arm around Takeru's waist, trying to find a comfortable place for it between the wall and the blonde's body. Takeru was still glaring at their kidnappers and muttering under his breath about stupid people. Since he wasn't paying attention to the pale genius, Ken took the opportunity to snuggle against his side, letting his head rest on Takeru's shoulder.

In moments, he was asleep. It was a while longer before Takeru remembered where he was, and looked down at the boy sleeping against him. With a smile, he scooted backwards a little so that Ken could recline more. Then he touched his cheek gently with one hand, reaching for the D-terminal with his other.

______________

"What's that?" Daisuke pulled his D-terminal from his pocket.

"It's a message. I need a flashlight!" There was mumbling as everyone moved around, searching for the object in question. With ten people packed into a car made for six, it was a wonder that they'd managed to shut the doors. Tai, Matt, and Sora were in the front seat. Jyou, Mimi, Hikari, and Miyako were jammed into the backseat. Daisuke, Koushiro, and Iori were sprawled in the back end, praying that they managed to survive Tai's driving.

It had taken them an hour to get around, because Tai had had to fill the gas tank of the car, then go around and pick up everyone at their homes. Matt had urged him a couple of times to leave with out them so that they could get going, but Daisuke and Koushiro had been the last to be picked up, and it was Daisuke's terminal that they sent directions to. "Here."

Koushiro held the flashlight that was passed back, and read over Daisuke's shoulder. "Take the highway out, until junction 39, then head north. Follow that until you pass two stop signs, then a four-way, and then turn left at the T in the road right after that."

"How long have they been on the road?" Jyou asked. If the kidnappers didn't stop soon, they wouldn't find them for at least a day.

"They've been driving for a little over an hour, now. It took us way too long to assemble, and get ready. Plus, Takeru thinks that the guy is speeding."

"It's from TK?" Mimi looked back. "I thought that it was Ken's D-terminal."

"It is. Takeru doesn't say that anything's happened. Maybe they're taking turns." Daisuke looked up at his friends, his expression worried. Koushiro leaned over and whispered his assurance into his ear. "They're fine. Both of them." With a warm smile, the older redhead wrapped his arms around Dai, holding him in his arms as they rode in the dark. Neither said anything more.

Tai looked across Sora at Matt, scanning his face quickly before returning his attention to the road. The blonde looked slightly relieved that his brother had contacted them again, but his face was mostly covered by a blank expression. The musician was playing it cool, trying to keep his emotions in control. Tai sighed, knowing that it would take a lot more than saving Takeru to erase that look.

_________

Takeru woke Ken up shortly before midnight, handed him the D-terminal, told him to send them directions when they turned, and asked him to wake him up by three. In the darkness, they couldn't see each other, so Ken's blush at waking up in Takeru's lap was well hidden, as was the disappointment on Takeru's face when the genius jumped away from him.

"Don't forget to wake me up, either." 

"Do you want to use me as a pillow?" Ken offered quietly, reaching to touch Takeru's shoulder in the dark. In answer, the blonde laid down, resting his head on Ken's left leg. The passenger in the front had already fallen asleep, and the radio was playing softly. Ken rested his hand gently on Takeru's head, curling his fingers lightly in his hair. They stayed like that until Takeru fell asleep, and beyond.

___________

"Will they ever stop?" Mimi yawned, stretching her arms out, barely missing hitting Jyou in the head. "It's three in the morning, and they're still going?"

"That's what Ken said." Daisuke yawned, too, curling up in a sitting position. The message had just come through a moment ago, jarring him away, and alerting Matt and Mimi with the sound. The others were still asleep, even Tai who had switched driving responsibility with Matt.

"What else did he say?" Matt tried at him in the rearview mirror, but settled on the vague outline of his body in the back window.

"He said that they're both fine, and he thinks that they're about ready to stop. Of course, that's what he said one, too. But who's counting? There are three more turns, and they stopped for food, and the bathroom twice."

"Yeah. That means that we're still a stop more than them, and another ten minutes behind them." 

"I'm sorry. If I had had to go the first time we stopped, I would have gone." Daisuke yawned tiredly. He'd stayed up most of the night, talking to Matt, and waiting for the next message to come through.

The blonde waved his hand, hiding his own yawn behind it. "That's okay. I think we made up for it."

Mimi glared at him. "I should hope so. Going eighty miles an hour for an hour. I think I've gained a wrinkle."

"What's up?" Tai stretched groggily, eyes half closed. "Have they beeped us again? Are we lost yet?"

"Ken gave us more directions, and they still haven't stopped permanently." Daisuke moved closer to the back seat, careful of the sleeping forms of Koushiro and Iori.

"On the plus side, we're less than an hour behind them." Mimi reached below her seat for a bottle of water, and twisted the cap off.

"Hand me one, please?" Tai reached back, and took the one she handed him. She tossed one to Daisuke also. "How did we manage to gain so much time?"

Matt coughed and ignored the question. "I hope they stop soon. I'm tired of being in this car already."

Tai looked at him, his eyes widening in amused realization. "Ishida Yamato, you were speeding!" The blonde blushed, but didn't comment. "I can't believe it. After all the times you've hassled me over the way I drive, you're tempting the police to pull us over."

"He was only going twenty-five miles an hour over the speed limit." Mimi supplied helpfully, leaning her hands on the front seats.

"Thank you, Meems." 

"I'll remember this, Matt. Just you wait." 

"Are you two bickering already?" Tai looked over the seat at his sister and grinned. "You guys should really learn to get along one of these days."

"But there's no fun in that, Kari. Why would we want to get along with one another when it's so much fun to be constantly heckling one another?" She rolled her eyes.

"I guess that I just don't understand. There are times that you're so in sync with each other that it seems like you're reading each others' minds, and at other times, you guys appear ready to strangle each other."

"That's just how things are with me, Kari." Tai smiled at his best friend, then looked back at his sister to finish his point. "Some days, you can't live with me, and others you can't live without me."

"And normally, it's the first kind of day that finds you hanging around." Sora chuckled sleepily at her own joke. "You guys are loud enough to wake the dead."

"Jyou's still asleep." Mimi pointed out. 

Hikari looked at the purple-haired girl that was using her as a pillow. "So is Miyako."

"Koushiro and Iori won't be waking up anytime soon." Daisuke input, leaning his back against the back seat so that he could see the cars behind them.

Nobody spoke for a moment, listening to the wheels on the pavement. Mimi broke the silence. "I have a plan."

Sora looked back at her. "What?" Everyone that was awake, except Matt, who was driving, turned to gaze at her. 

"I think that we find out where they are when they stop, then wait for dark. When they can't see how many of us there really are, I'll walk up to the door, and do some kind of delivery speech, while the rest of you sneak into the house and find Ken and Takeru."

"That sounds good." Hikari nodded, but she was frowning. "Won't they get suspicious when you have nothing to deliver?"  

Mimi thought about it, then shrugged helplessly. From the back, Daisuke was looking at her speculatively. "You can pretend that you're lost. Or you can say that you're car broke down, and ask one of them to help you find it."

"That's a good idea, Dai." Tai hooked his arm over the back of the seat, and turned his body sideways. "That way, you can get one of them out of the house, if not both."

"You mean, you expect me to walk up to this house without anyone else around?" Her russet colored eyes were wide at the thought.

"Of course not, Meems." Matt was the one to reassure her, moving the rearview mirror so that he could see her. "A couple of the others will walk with you. Too many people going into the house could be a bad thing. We don't know if someone else will show up."

"That's a good point, Matt." Sora smiled at him sweetly, her eyes crinkling. He smiled back, and then turned his attention back to the road.

"Hey, Daisuke. When did they stop for breakfast?" The redhead swiveled around. 

"About an hour and a half ago. Why?" 

"Because isn't that the placed that Ken described?" The blonde waved his hand at a roadside cafe. The others turned to look.

"That sounds about right. That means that we're even closer than we thought. I wish that I could let Ken know."

"He knows that we're on our way, Dai." Hikari put her hand up, and ran it gently through his hair. "He knows that we'll rescue him."

"I know. I just wish that we were a little closer." He sighed, and then grinned, tilting his head back to turn his eyes to the roof. "We'll get to them. No problem. We are the digi-destined, the world's best team of heroes."

"These guys don't know who they're messing with." Matt's hands tightened on the steering wheel, a reaction that only Tai caught. "But they will soon enough."

The others laughed, caught up in the certainty that all would soon be righted. Only Taichi, Daisuke, and Matt seemed to harbor any reservations. Tai stared a moment longer at Matt, and then turned to look out the darkened window. Daisuke laid down next to Koushiro, and curled into his side, smiling slightly.

____________

Takeru jerked awake as the van slowed down, the tires crunching over dirt and gravel.  He sat up slowly, smiling at Ken slightly as he did so. "What have I missed?"

"We're stopping." They whispered back and forth, turning wary glances towards the two in the front. It was five in the morning, and they'd been kidnapped for twelve hours. "I think this is it.

"Good. Send a-"

"Okay, boys. Time to get out and stretch your legs." The one in the baseball cap opened his door and hopped out, moving to open the sliding door. "Let's move, you two."

They did so, walking around him as they got out of the vehicle. With his hand in his pocket, Ken hit the send button without sending a message, hoping his friends would know what it meant. He couldn't afford to have his D-terminal taken by them. No doubt they'd break it, and move on again. 

"What's the holdup?" The driver came around, taking his jacket off in the afternoon sun. He waved his gun at Takeru and Ken, and then pointed at the house they had stopped at. "Go on in." They looked at each other, and then did as told. The first one went ahead of them and opened the door.

"Down the hall." They kept going, glancing around at their new surroundings. The house was old, but sturdy. The floor squeaked under foot, and there were water spots along the ceiling and walls. The furniture was old, and overused, the stuffing coming out of one of the chairs. "Turn left."

They turned left when they entered the yellow kitchen, blinking in the reflection of the sun off the light colored walls. They stopped at a door, and looked back at their kidnappers. "Open the door, and go down to the basement. The light is at the bottom."

Takeru rolled his eyes, then pulled the door open. He led the way downstairs, smiling when he felt Ken put his hand on his shoulder so that they wouldn't lose each other in the dark. At the bottom, he waited for further instructions, and felt Ken step down beside him. 

"The light switch should be to your right. It's a string that hangs by the wall." The blonde reached out, and felt along the wall, shuddering when something crawled over his skin. The light blinked on suddenly, and he turned to see Ken smiling at him gently.

The door slammed, and they looked at the top of the stairs. They were alone. "I guess this is it." The genius moved away, taking in the dank smell, and dirt walls. "Not much of a basement, if you ask me."

"It's probably never been used." It was empty, except for whatever insects and rodents lived in it. The stairs and the light was it. There were no windows, or a real floor. Takeru sat down on the third step, stretching his legs out in front of him. 

Ken sat beside him hesitantly, pulling out his terminal as he did so. "At least I can tell the guys that we finally stopped."

"That should make them happy. Tell them we're trapped in some half-baked basement, and that the house is purple."

Ken looked at him. "The house isn't purple. It's lavender."

"No. This house is only a few shades from your eyes, and your eyes are violet. There's no way this place is lavender."

Ken's laughter echoed through the basement as blue hair swished with the shake of his head. "There is almost no way for me to argue that. But it's still lavender."

The blonde grinned. "Whatever. Just send the message."

"Sore loser." Ken typed into the little keypad, then hit send. He yawned and closed his eyes.

"Tired?" He nodded, and then stiffened when Takeru's arm wrapped around his shoulder. "Go ahead and sleep. Who knows when they're likely to move us again."

"Thank you." He settled in stiffly, uncertain. Takeru rubbed his arm in soothing circles, leaning back against the handrail.

"Relax. We'll both sleep." The blonde settled back, turning them both as he did so that Ken's back rested against his chest. He drew his right leg up, resting his arm on it, and letting his left hand fall to his left leg.

Ken crossed his arms on his chest, and leaned back, turning his head to the left in a more comfortable position. In the dim light, knowing that they couldn't see each others faces in the position they were in, they each smiled.


	3. Plotting the escape

Plotting the escape

"I still don't think that it's safe to keep them down there all night."

"Stop whining, and get them some blankets."

"But it's cold!"

"Do you want to have to watch them all night?"

"If that's what it takes."

"Fine! Take them upstairs, and tie them up. Lock them in a closet, or something."

"I will."

Ken sat up, pulling away from Takeru, and causing the blonde's arms to fall to his side. He woke up slowly, and smiled at Ken, his eyes still glazed from slumber. "They're coming down. You might want to wake up."

Blue eyes blinked sleepily, and then he rolled his eyes. "What now? Are we leaving again?"

"No. They're moving us upstairs, and probably tying us up in a closet." The genius smiled slightly. "If only one comes for the both of us, we can overpower him, and make a run for it."

"Sounds like a plan. What about the guy with the gun?" Ken's thin form stood up, and he stretched.

"Hopefully, he'll be in the back of the house, or somewhere else." Takeru stood up, also, standing on the first step.

"We can make it to the van, and try to escape in it." He smiled, blue eyes twinkling. "Of course, we could also sabotage it. I'm pretty certain that we could out run them easily."

The door at the top of the stairs opened, interrupting their conversation. The guy with the ball cap waved them up, a rope in one hand, and the gun in the other.

"Let's go, you two. Time to get a little more comfortable."

Takeru resisted the urge to snicker. He doubted that their kidnapper would appreciate being laughed at, even if they were the worst two in history. Somehow, he doubted that they did this type of thing often. He looked at Ken, noting the twinkle in his violet eyes where they rested on the man in front of them.

"Move a little faster." The guy waved the gun again, and then sighed in frustration as they filed slowly up the stairs. He pointed towards the front of the house, and they walked back the way they had entered a couple of hours before. Takeru looked at his watch, then towards the window where the sun was setting. It was seven in the morning.

They went up the stairs, and back towards the end of the house. The guy pushed them into a back room, and slammed the door shut. They were left in the pale light of coming day, Ken leaning against the door, and Takeru checking out the window. 

"It doesn't look like we'll be going out this way." He pulled roughly on the sill, illustrating the fact that it was nailed down. "Or we can do it the hard way."

"They'd hear us break the glass." With a sigh, the dark-haired genius moved away from the door, and sat down in the middle of the floor. He pulled out his D-terminal, and typed in a message, leaving the blonde to stare at the top of his bent head. "What?"

Blue eyes widened with surprise at being caught, and Takeru smiled slightly, shrugging offhandedly. "Nothing. With the light from the sunrise, your hair kind of shines."

Violet eyes stared into his for a moment, before looking away with something akin to resigned acceptance. "I'd say the same, but I don't think I've ever seen your hair." His lips curled into a slight smile, and he glanced through his hair, waiting for Takeru's reaction.

The blonde moved toward him, and sat down across from him, dropping his arms around his knees. He smiled playfully at the genius, reaching up and pulling his hat off of his head. Ken gasped, his eyes widening. "Yeah, yeah. Laugh all you want." 

Takeru smoothed the blonde tresses self-consciously, averting his gaze, and trying to pretend that he wasn't blushing. "It's really not that bad." He looked at the blue-haired boy for a moment, caught the smile on his face, and put his hat back on. A pale hand touched his arm, and he met Ken's gaze. "I'm sorry. You just looked so upset at taking it off; I thought it was funny. I didn't mean to offend you."

"You didn't." Ken didn't move his hand, and Takeru didn't comment. "It's just kind of sore spot. Daisuke likes to tease me about it." He chuckled. "And even I have to admit that it looks rather silly at times. But it's comfortable, and I like to wear it, and that's that."

"You don't have to defend yourself to me, Takeru." He paused, and then looked away from his eyes, over his shoulder. "I like it, anyway. On you, at least. I don't know of anyone else that could pull it off." 

(Rae: **coughGilligancough)**

"Thank you." Outside, the blonde accepted it easily enough, but inside, his heart was starting to thud against his chest, a chest that was feeling too tight from proximity. "So, what are we going to do?"

"I guess the door is out, since he locked it. I say that we try the window." He waved toward a bed in the corner. "We can use the pillow to mute the sound, and avoid getting cut."

"We'll have to be quick about it. There's nothing but ground at the bottom, and we can make a run into the woods before they get the door opened."

"Let's wait until it gets dark." They sat in silence for several minutes, Ken watching the floor, and Takeru watching him while pretending not to.

"Maybe we should sleep a little more. It could be a long night." The blonde suggested blandly, standing up to hide the blush that came from thinking about him and Ken in the same bed. The blue-haired genius stood up also, walking to stand beside the bed. He climbed in, crawled to the wall, and then lay down on his left side, facing the room. Takeru lay down as well, noting that both of them stayed on top of the covers. Ken had his eyes closed as Takeru laid down on his right side, facing the wall. A moment later, violet eyes blinked open, and he was caught by Ken's gaze.

"Do you normally sleep on your right side?" Takeru thought about it for a moment, and then smiled slightly.

"Normally. Let me guess, you always sleep on your left." Ken smiled back, and nodded, leaning up to rest his cheek in his left hand. "I guess that I should have gotten the wall, then. Do you want to switch?" He held his breath, waiting for the other boy's reply. The dark-haired boy shook his head, lying back down.

"That's okay." He closed his eyes, curling his arm under his head, and resting the other one on the bed in front of him. Takeru watched him for a moment longer, and then closed his eyes. He was asleep in minutes, and missed when the blue-haired boy sat up. 

Ken leaned back against the wall, and took the blinking light from his lapel. Taking the chance that the blonde would wake up, he ran his hand through soft blonde locks, tenderly touching the scalp underneath. 

When their friends finally rescued them, he was going to have to have a talk with his best friend. He smiled, snuggling as close to the other as he could without touching him.

____________

"I knew it." Matt leaned against the car and glared at nothing in particular. At the front of the car, leaning under the hood, Tai sighed.

"If you know so much, why don't you get over here and fix this dang thing." Standing around the car, everyone else rolled their eyes at their banter. 

"I'm not a grease monkey. I know nothing of fixing cars."

"Why doesn't that surprise me? Wait, I know. It's because the world would go to hell if cool, calm, collected Ishida Yamato got his hands dirty." The brunette sighed again, pushing his hair out of his face with his arm, careful of the grease on his hands. "If you're not going to help, the least you can do is quit complaining."

The blonde mumbled something under his breath, and stepped around to stand beside his best friend. "I still don't know what I'm doing." Tai reached out, and jiggled something, turned another object, and then kicked the front bumper. "Oh, that's really going to work."

Jyou turned the key in the ignition, and Tai smirked when the engine started. "You know it." Matt frowned at the car, and then walked away, hands in his pockets. "Never doubt the great Yagami."

"Well, oh Great One. What are we going to do about the tire now?" Hikari pointed to the flat tire on the rear driver side, and her brother deflated. 

"Koushiro?" The brunette called hopefully. The redhead looked up from where he'd been talking with Daisuke, and nodded.

"Fix-a-flat, and an air pump."

"See, everything taken care of." Tai crossed his arms, daring anyone to argue with him. Everyone else shrugged, and looked away, except Matt. 

"Everything's taken care of, if you ignore the fact that we're lost, it's dark, and we don't know how Ken and Takeru are." He smiled slightly. "I guess this is how you take care of things." He was leaning on the top of the car, arms crossed on top.

Tai put his hands on the top of the doorframe, and leaned over the roof. "Stop being such a jerk. I'm trying to keep up a good attitude. The only thing that getting mopey and depressed does is bring the rest of us down."

"I'm so sorry that my attitude leaves something to be desired." Sensing a fight brewing, the others moved away from the car, forming a little circle front and ignoring Matt and Tai.

The brunette looked at his friends, figured that they were for enough away for what he wanted to say, and turned back to Matt. "Yamato. I know you're worried, and I know that you're mad. But if you keep this up, I will tie you up and gag you in the back with Koushiro and Daisuke."

The blonde didn't say anything, simply stared at him for a moment. He didn't deny that it was worry and anger driving him in his persistence to annoy his best friend.

"We can fight, Matt. Just like always. Or you can trust me, talk to me. You're trying to shove me away because you're afraid that you're break down if I get too close. That's a chance you're going to have to take, Yama. I need you to trust me."

____________

Daisuke watched as his idol and Matt walked into the woods, leaving the rest of them behind with only a quick "we'll be right back". He looked at his friends, and then turned to Koushiro. "Five minutes, and a black eye."

The genius paused for a moment, then smiled teasingly. "Square the first, and double the second."

"What?" Koushiro smiled at him. "'Shiro, babe, that isn't even fair."

"What isn't?" Mimi smiled, crossing her arms to ward off the chill of the night.

"He's trying to get me to think. My head hurts just from thinking about it." He groaned, and grabbed his head with his hands. 

"I know you know, Daisuke." The redhead was persistent as he waited. Finally, he reached out, and rubbed at Daisuke's temples, just to stop him from moaning more. 

"Mm. Twenty-five minutes and two black eyes. You're on." He wrapped his arms around the redhead in a sudden hug, grinning as he squeaked. "You are the world's greatest inspiration."

He let go just as quickly, and hopped back to the car. Koushiro and the others stared after him for a moment, the redhead blushing. Sora finally coughed, gaining his attention. "'Shiro, babe? The world's greatest inspiration?" Miyako snickered, and wrapped her arm around Mimi.

"I think somebody has a crush on you." Jyou pointed out wisely, and the girls giggled. Koushiro sighed, running a hand through his own hair as he looked at Daisuke. He smiled slightly when brown eyes met his.

"It's illogical." His voice was loud enough to carry to Daisuke, who placed his hands on his hips in a defensive gesture. 

"Logic also says that you can't travel between dimensions with a computer, but we do it anyway. We like to defy logic, it's part of our motif, our brand, our signature, our-."

"Stuff it, Dai." Hikari approached him, and tapped him on the arm. Cut off in mid-tirade, he blushed, and then circled around the car to get into the front seat.

____________

"Matt, what the hell is wrong with you?" Tai didn't waste any time as they stood in the darkness. Koushiro and the others would finish with the tire by the time they got back. He had time to deal with some of Matt's issues. He could try, at the least. The blonde was turned away from him, and he felt that he should probably be thankful for it. The coldness that the blonde emitted at times could chill a person to the bone, and even the fiery brunette wasn't immune most of the time. Especially when he knew that it was motivated by real pain.

When there was no answer, he sighed in quiet frustration and raked a hand through his hair. "Talk to me, Yama." The nickname slipped out without thought. It was his way of expressing how serious he was, and it generally occurred without any planning on his part.

"I can't do anything to help him." There were tears hidden beneath the words, and he cursed the stubbornness that kept him at a distance from his friend. 

"We're doing the best we can, Yama. We all are. They're safe, and they can take care of themselves." They both knew it to be the truth, but he knew instinctively that it wouldn't help to calm his friend.

"Maybe that's why I'm so bothered by this. My little brother can save himself better than I can. I remember when I had to rescue him from everything, and now I can't even help him with his homework."

Tai paused, not knowing how to answer that. His little sister was growing up, too, but he still thought of her as exactly that: his little sister. "It's going to take time to adjust to it." He said the first thing that came into his mind, and waited to see if it would have the effect he desired.

"I'm so used to being depended on. It's like something's missing." The brunette smiled. He knew the exact feeling that the blonde was feeling.

"You're lonely. You used to be able to depend on your little brother needing you, and now that he doesn't have to turn to you every other day for advice, you lack companionship."

"With half of the female population stalking me?" His voice betrayed his sarcasm, revealing another little piece of his pain.

"They don't count. You can't include someone that doesn't know your favorite ice cream flavor."

"Is this the part where you offer to set me up with any number of girls in the hopes that I get laid and get happy?"

"No. This is where we head back to the van, and you think about my wonderfully fabulous advice as we go and rescue our friends." He ignored the slight snickering sound that followed his march out of the woods. By the rustling of the undergrowth, he knew that Matt was right behind him, following the sound of his own feet. He hoped that his words would help.

It hurt him when his best friend hurt.

____________

Takeru came awake slowly, conscious of being warm and comfortable at the same time. He didn't remember covering up, but there was a blanket over him, as well as an arm draped across his waist. He was still on his side, and his left arm was hooked securely around the thin body in front of him. His eyes opened wide in the darkness. He couldn't see the person in front of him, but he knew who it was without the ability of sight. Different choices flashed through his mind: pull away, and pretend it didn't happen; snuggle closer, and enjoy it while it lasted; wake Ken up with a kiss, and see how long it took the genius to kick his butt.

Without really thinking about it, he leaned forward slightly, feeling Ken's breath on his neck. He brought his lips down lovingly on his forehead, running his left arm down Ken's back, and then back up beneath his shirt. The genius mumbled in his sleep, but didn't wake up. He merely tightened his arm, and scooted closer, moving his leg so that it was on top of Takeru's right leg.  With a sigh, the blonde moved his lips downward, moving them slowly across Ken's cheek, edging ever closer to his lips. He stopped at the corner of his mouth, and then kissed him lightly, closing his eyes.

A second later, he was flat on his back, his arms pinned to his side, and the vague outline of Ken leaning over him. The genius was breathing a little heavily, his hair hanging past his face. Takeru opened his mouth to try to explain, but no words came out. He couldn't simply say that nothing had happened, or that he hadn't known what he had been doing. He had been in full control of himself, and had enjoyed every second of it. He waited in the darkness, not certain if Ken would let it go, or if the genius would want to confront him on it.

"Takeru?" The voice was low, an uncertain whisper. 

He nodded, and then realized that the other boy wouldn't be able to see him. "Yeah." The hands holding his wrists loosened, and he felt Ken lever himself away from his body.

"In the dark, I wasn't certain." His voice was still low, as if the normal volume of conversation would pollute the dark shadows surrounding them. "Are you still tired?"

"Not really. What time is it?" He saw the light on Ken's watch flicker on, and then off.

"It's only eight o'clock. Do you think that we should wait for a little while longer?"

"Let's wait until ten, and see if they check on us by then. If not, we can assume that they've gone to sleep." Takeru stayed where he was on the bed, he didn't know what Ken was thinking, but his knees were still touching his side, so he knew that the genius hadn't gone far. "Ken, I-"

"I was thinking that we might send a message to Dai and the others, telling them what we're going to do. If they're any place nearby, we might be able to meet up with them a little ways from here." There was a moment of silence, and then he felt a hand gently touch his arm. "I'm sorry that I got you into this mess."

"It's not your fault that you got kidnapped. How were you supposed to know that some idiots were going to abduct you in the middle of the afternoon?"

"If you hadn't been hanging out with me for the last couple of weeks-" Takeru cut him off with a hand over his mouth. He had risen to his knees in a flash, facing his friend in the dark.

"None of that. It's not your fault. If you want to blame anyone, blame me. If I had shown up on time, or had Matt drive us, we wouldn't have had to worry about any of this. As for the hanging out thing: we're friends, Ken, and friends spend time together." Maybe not as much time as he'd spent with Ken, but that was another matter. "Now get over it, and keep thinking about escaping."

He paused, waiting to see if any of it had registered with Ken. He felt a cool hand touch his cheek, and resisted the urge to lean his face into his palm. "That's really sweet, Takeru. You're sweet." He closed his eyes, and felt Ken's other hand cup the other side of his face. "Just like you taste."

Before he could digest the words, a pair of lips was pressed on top of his, kissing him softly. He opened his mouth slightly and felt when Ken's teeth grazed it before nibbling at it. He made a low growling sound in the back of his throat, and brought his hands to Ken's hips. The genius leaned into him, moving his hands down to circle about his shoulders. Ken had just moved his hands under Takeru's shirt when there was the sound of footsteps in the hall. They broke apart quickly, panting for breath.

"Lay down." Takeru's whisper was harsh in the silence, but he felt the bed move as Ken made to obey. They pulled the blankets back up to cover themselves, then faced in opposite directions. The key scraped in the lock, and the door swung open. Takeru forced his face to remain relaxed when the light was flicked on. Footsteps neared the bed, stopped for a moment, and then retreated back to the door. The light was shut off, and the door shut. The key turned in the lock again, and the footsteps sounded down the hall. "That was close-"

He was cut off in the middle of his sentence by a pair of persistent lips pressed against his own. Long-fingered hands were pushing his shirt up, caressing his abdomen as the material was slowly removed. The lips left his, and moved down his chin to his neck, stopping to suck lightly on his collarbone. Ken pulled back for a moment, and pulled his shirt over his head, forcing Takeru into a sitting position. 

"Ken?" There was a hesitation, and the hands that had been learning the contours of his chest stilled, the fingers curling slightly.

"Takeru?" There was more than hesitancy in Ken's voice. He sounded unsure, afraid, and more than a touch excited. The hands pulled away, and he heard the rustle of the blanket as the genius backed up to the wall. The blonde reached out his hand, and touched flesh. Ken moved his foot back, and Takeru could picture him rolling his sock back up and pulling his pant leg down. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." He tried again, grasping an ankle. The genius tried to jerk away, but he tightened his grip, using his hold as a guide to the other boy. He didn't say another word, because he didn't know what to say. He couldn't tell the genius that he enjoyed it, but he didn't want Ken to think that he didn't, either. 

He moved forward slowly, shuffling his knees on the blankets. He found Ken's other ankle, and positioned himself between them. With his left hand, he pushed up the bottom of Ken's pants, sliding his fingers along his calf to his knee. He felt the rigidity of the other's body, and ignored it. He began to rub circles into the backside of his knee, and felt the shudder than ran through his body. His right hand slid up his pant leg slowly, inching upward with every circle behind his right knee. "Takeru." Ken's voice was breathy, anticipatory. 

"Hush." Takeru moved forward a little more, moving his right hand up past the knee on the inside. His left hand moved back down, coming out of his pants. Ken sighed, the sound half disappointed. The right hand was till making it's way up the inside of his thigh, and he made no move to stop it. Takeru stopped his hand at mid-thigh, and reached his left hand up to Ken's face. "It's barely eight-thirty."

He waited, keeping his hands in place. "We should sleep." Ken's voice was disappointed, frustrated.

"We could. Or we could wait a little longer. We don't always do what we should." His message was clear. They could stay exactly where they were, and go farther, or put it on hold indefinitely. Ken brought his hands up to cover both of Takeru's.

"We need to rest." His words were almost desperate, squeezed out of him.

"I know." With a quiet sigh, they moved back towards the middle of the bed together, Takeru guiding Ken with his hands. They lay down, wrapping their arms around each other as they waited for sleep to claim them yet again.

________________

They ended up breaking the window out. Ken stood to the side, and kicked it, and then Takeru knocked down the shards that stuck in the sill. "After you." The blonde waved his arm, ignoring the sound of footsteps running downstairs.

"Thank you." With natural grace, Ken climbed through, slid to the edge of the roof, and dropped down. Takeru followed, jumping from the roof as footsteps ran up the stairs and down the hall.' He hit the ground and felt his right foot slip. There was a popping sound as he fell. "Are you okay?"

Slender hands touched him gently, moving to his legs. "I'm fine. We have to go." Ken pulled him to his feet, supporting him with one arm around his waist. They started forward as quickly as possible, Takeru hobbling with his arm around the dark-haired teen's shoulders. They heard shouting behind them as they entered the darkness of the woods.

"We can head back towards the highway, and hope that Daisuke's coming." The blonde was breathing heavy; inhaling sharply each time he had to put pressure on his right ankle. Ken talked on, his voice low with the effort to keep them both on their feet. "Maybe we'll be lucky, and we'll find a cop. That would be a stroke of luck."

Somewhere in the background, a door slammed shut. "I couldn't find the flashlight!"

"That should make this a little easier. They won't be able to find us in the dark." The trees made seeing by the moon impossible.

"They wouldn't be able to find us in broad daylight." Takeru stopped and pulled Ken down so that they were kneeling in the grass. "We'll let them look, and start walking when they give up. Save our energy."

He sat down, moving to the nearest tree to lean against it as his ankle throbbed. Ken moved with him, crossing his legs and settling into the grass by the blonde's side. "Let me see your ankle." Without waiting for a response, he pulled the blonde's leg into his lap, and began to untie his shoe. 

"It's only a sprain. It happens every now and again. I twisted it badly three years ago." His breathing constricted as Ken's hands massaged his skin, moving tenderly along his ankle, taking his sock off. Cool fingers circled his foot, making him gasp.

"Sorry. Did that hurt?" Slender hands stilled as he waited for an answer, but he didn't remove his hands.

"No. Your hands were cold." He paused, and then added: "You don't have to stop." He heard a light humming noise, and felt cool fingers slide up his leg, kneading the muscles in his calf, pausing two inches below the knees when the tight material of the jeans wouldn't allow further access. 

There was an expectant hush, Takeru waiting to see what he would do next, Ken waiting to see if the blonde would either take over, or push him away. They were both startled when there was a large thrashing sound to their left.

"Are you okay!" Takeru felt for Ken's arm as they realized that they were barely ten feet from their kidnappers.

"No! I think I'm stuck in some briar patch thing." 

"You are such an idiot!" There was some more stomping and cursing, and then the sounds retreated back towards the house, both men insulting each other.

When they were certain that they were alone, Takeru squeezed the arm under his palm. "We should get going again. Before they manage to find a flashlight."

"Of course." He heard the resignation and frustration in the other boy's voice, and smiled, thinking that it was nice to know that they were going through the same thin. "Hold still, and I'll put your sock and shoe back on."

He did just that, closing his eyes as cool fingers pulled his sock on, and then his shoe, tying the strings before resting gently on his leg again. Neither one made a move to get up, and Takeru started to imagine exactly what could happen if they didn't move. Finally, knowing that they had to start, he pushed against the tree to upright himself, smiling in the dark when an arm wrapped itself back around his waist. "I wonder what the others are doing." 

It was a general question, and he didn't expect an answer. Ken's mind wasn't on the others, though. He was thinking about the warmth pressed against his side, and the memory of sleeping against his chest, the small of his back pressed by an insistent part of the blonde's anatomy.


	4. Make good the escape

Make good the escape

It took half an hour to reach a road. They were lucky, because the stretch that they came upon had a moonlit sign advertising the highway, and telling them that left would take them west. 

They were both tired from the strain of supporting Takeru's ankle. "Maybe we should rest?" The blonde stopped at the sign to lean against it. "I don't know about you, but I'm hungry, and tired, and really wishing that we could find a ride right about now."

Ken smiled, Takeru's arm still around his shoulders. "This doesn't look like a busy part of the highway." The hand on his shoulder slipped away a little bit, pausing at his neck to squeeze there lightly.

With the moon overhead, they could see each other better, and Ken was aware that Takeru's eyes were dark with something more than shadows. He let himself be propelled forward until they stood front to front, and an arm hooked its way around his waist.

He sighed with pleasure as the blonde brought their lips together, kissing him with gentle persistence until he opened his mouth. Takeru slipped his tongue inside, tenderly stroking his tongue and the inside of his cheeks. Pale hands came up to grasp his shirt, bringing their groins in contact. They both moaned, and Ken's tongue slid its way around the blonde's.

The sound of the car didn't penetrate until the headlights flashed over their heads as it topped a hill. With quick reflexes, Ken pulled them both down and back, rolling into the ditch. They lay in the grass, Takeru on top, as they brought their breathing under control. The blonde smiled down. "Hi."

Hazy violet eyes peered up at him, and then the genius smiled. "Hi." His voice was raspy, and his eyes remained hooded with desire. Takeru was about to lean down and kiss him again when the car screeched to a halt.

"Takeru?" They both looked up over the side of the ditch. "Ken?" 

They rolled away from each other, Ken standing up, and Takeru into a sitting position. Ken's hand reached out and helped him to his feet. Takeru didn't let go of his hand as they peered up at their friends. "Daisuke!"

Arms reached down to help pull them out of the ditch. Daisuke hugged Ken, and the genius was more than a little taken by surprise by his enthusiasm.  "I'm so glad you're okay. We were so worried, especially after you said that you were going to run away."

"How did you see us?" Takeru asked over Iori's head. He had Kari under one arm, and the little brunette under another. With a slight smile, Matt stepped forward, and pulled the little blinking light off of his hat. He handed it back to his brother to turn it off. "Oh."

He looked at Ken, but the dark-haired teen wouldn't look his way, and he frowned. With a sinking feeling in his stomach, he allowed the others to push him into the middle seat of the car while Daisuke, Ken, Koushiro, Iori, and Hikari climbed into the rear. "It was lucky that we were coming when we were." Tai smiled at them as he got into the front seat. "We got lost, and something happened with the motor, and then the tire."

Matt turned around in his seat, bumping both Sora, who was driving, and Tai, who was stuck next to the door. "We had a little trouble following your directions. We just got the car started, and were heading back toward the intersection to try again when Daisuke spotted the light. The rest of us ignored it."

Takeru looked back at Ken, who was watching him from the back. He held the little blinking light in his hand in a questioning manner. It was off, but he didn't know if he should keep it, or give it back, since it had already served its purpose. After a moment's hesitation, Ken shook his head, and smiled as Takeru put it back on his hat.

"So, what did you two do while you were waiting?" Miyako, her elbow pressed painfully against his side, was smiling at him with a suspicious gleam. "I hope the two of you weren't bored."

The emphasis she placed on the last word made Takeru blush and turn away. He didn't want to answer her questions, so he shrugged.

She shifted, and Mimi giggled as her left elbow brushed her side. "Watch it, Miya."

"Sorry." The violet-haired girl leaned over so that she could whisper in his ear. "Did you at least talk to him?"

He looked back, but Ken was facing the rear, watching the taillights fade as they got farther and farther away from their captors. "We kissed."

She squealed, and he drew back, covering his ear protectively. "What are you two doing back there?" Matt turned around, one brow cocked. Takeru sighed, and then glared at Miyako.

"Nothing." Miya replied, smirking at Takeru. "Is that all?"

"Yes. We didn't really say much of anything to each other." He looked out the window, wishing that he could be the one in the back with Ken, or that they'd had more time in the ditch, or in the woods, or if they'd waited before they left.

She sighed dramatically, pressing her hands to her chest. "I'm glad that my love life is more exciting than yours." Her voice was loud enough for everyone in the car to hear, and he blushed in the darkness as eleven pair of eyes peered at him.

Daisuke snickered, then grunted as someone poked him in the stomach. Takeru didn't dare risk a glance at Ken. He couldn't have a love life if his feelings weren't returned.

_______

Eight hours later, they still weren't home. Conversation had disappeared after the first three hours, and the radio droned on endlessly. Those that weren't tired and trying to sleep were either driving, or staring out the windows as they waited for the next rest stop. 

Daisuke stretched carefully, shifting towards the interior of the car as Koushiro slept against his side. He wasn't exactly certain when they'd snuggled together, but he wasn't about to complain. He kissed the redhead on the forehead before closing his eyes to go back to sleep. Jyou glanced over, taking his eyes off of the road to peek a glance at them. With a smile, he returned to his driving. Behind the redheads sat Iori and Hikari. He was holding her as she slept, her head resting against his chest. She was laying crooked on the seat, and no one was quite certain how she had managed to fall asleep in such a position, but slept she did, snoring lightly as Iori rubbed her arm.

Sora was staring out the front window on Hikari's left, her feet supported by the back of the front seat so that her knees were up. Takeru sat next to her, staring out the window, trying to ignore Ken behind him. The genius hadn't bothered to speak to him since they'd been picked up. Mimi and Miyako sat behind Hikari and Iori, sleeping in the spoon position. They had settled down that way, so there was no question of it being an accident. Ken wasn't quite sure why, but she had winked suggestively at him before she went to sleep.

Stretched out beside them as much as possible was Tai, sleeping with his arms flung out, and his legs against the window. Matt and Ken sat on the other side of him, behind Takeru. The blonde was glancing out the window across from him, tapping a rhythm on his knee. The blue-haired teen was thinking. He moved closer to the seat, until he could kiss the top of Takeru's head without moving too far, though he didn't touch the blonde. It was enough for a moment that he could. Takeru shifted uncomfortably, but didn't turn around.

Neither moved for several minutes. Jyou changed radio stations, flipping through the buttons at random. Tai and Daisuke were both snoring loud enough to be heard, but not at full volume. Matt began to hum under his breath as he leaned back, and stretched his legs across Tai's. Takeru touched his head for a moment, adjusting his hat. Ken held his breath, but the blond didn't say anything, or turn around. Behind them, the sun was making its way higher in the sky.

With a quick twist of his hands, Takeru turned the light in his hands on, let it blink green three times, and then shut it off. He waited, his throat tight. Nothing happened, and he couldn't tell if Ken had even seen it. With a quiet sigh, he let the little metal object sit in his fist as he stared out the window. A gentle hand touched his shoulder, and his body tensed. He relaxed, and the hand moved down his shoulder, and around his neck. Behind him, Ken was kneeling in the back, and leaning over the seat. His breath was warm against the back of the blonde's head as he hugged him from behind.

"You know, this wasn't what I had planned when I asked you to spend the weekend at my house." Takeru smiled as Ken pressed a little closer and wrapped both arms around his neck.

"And here I thought that you were just into the kinky stuff." Their voices were low, but Sora and Jyou were the only two awake to see, and they both smiled, turning their eyes away so that the two boys could have privacy. "I'm glad that we got out of that."

"So am I. It makes for an interesting story, doesn't it?" Takeru lifted his hands to cover Ken's and tilted his head back.

"Mmm." The dark-haired boy pressed his lips against his cheek, humming as he did. "I don't think I'd want to do this every weekend." Daisuke mumbled something in the front seat, and sat up as best he could, rousing Koushiro gently as he did. Takeru watched them through hooded eyes, but didn't pull away. Ken's eyes were closed, his head resting against the blonde's. The younger redhead turned around, took in the picture they made, and grinned at his friends. With a smile, Takeru closed his eyes. 

____________

They stopped for lunch at noon, twelve teenagers climbing out of a single car. A truck driver looked at them oddly as they stretched, but shrugged and decided that it wasn't any of his business. The restaurant was small, a little place on the side of the highway. Koushiro stumbled when he got out, and would have collapsed to the ground when his legs gave out if Daisuke hadn't caught him. 

"Morning." The redhead grinned, and helped his friend stand up straight. When his hands were free, he adjusted the goggles on his head, and stretched. "Sleep well?" His smile said that he had. Koushiro shrugged, looking away from the intensity of his gaze

"Well enough, I suppose." He looked back up, his expression friendly. "I don't suppose you know why my legs were jammed between Jyou and I?"

Daisuke blushed and chuckled. On the other side of the car, Jyou gave him a bland look. "Since you were lying in Dai's lap, your feet had to go somewhere, and they weren't going to be in my lap while I was driving."

Koushiro blushed, and then looked back at Daisuke. Brown eyes met his with an unusual amount of hesitancy. "I slept in your lap?" He'd woken up to Daisuke pulling him out of the car by his shoulders. It would make sense that he'd slept in someone's lap if he'd been laying down.

"Yeah." With a self-conscious smile, Daisuke brushed his palms against his legs. "Hungry?" Black eyes regarded him for a moment, searching his dark brown eyes. With a smile, Daisuke grabbed his hand and started toward the building.

"Starving." Daisuke lead a grin, waving at the rest of his friends as they walked away. Sora waved back, smiling.

"That's so sweet." She turned to Jyou, who offered her his arm. She took it, smiling up at him with something more than gentle affection. 

Hikari and Iori shut the door on their side of the car, and walked up to the door. They didn't hold hands, but Iori did hold the door open for her. Takeru looked at the people that were left, and smiled as Miya and Mimi passed, their arms around each other's waists.

Ken started forward slowly, his head high. He didn't look at the blonde, but he felt his gaze with every step. Tai leaned against the car, and tapped Takeru on the shoulder. Blue eyes blinked at him, and he watched as his brother passed them.

The brunette smiled at him. "I don't know what it is you want, exactly, from this thing you've got going with Ken, but talking to him would definitely be a good idea. That way, neither one of you gets hurt."

"It's hard."

"What is? Being friends with him, and nothing more? Or telling him how you feel? As far as I can tell, he doesn't seem too resistant to your charms."

"What if it's just physical?" Takeru looked up, his eyes dark. "We just started making out in the dark, and now we have a problem keeping our hands to ourselves." He swallowed. "I don't want this to be some drawn-out make out session. I really like him."

"Here's the way I see it. You guys have known each other for years without jumping each other. You've been friends, and you've gotten rather close. At this point, the physical aspect of your relationship is rearing its head due to frustration. Sleep with him, and if he respects you in the morning, you've got it made."

"Thanks." His tone was sarcastic, but Tai shrugged. 

"Let's eat." 

They entered the restaurant to find everyone sitting at different booths. Tai found Matt, and scooted in next to him, across from Sora and Jyou. Takeru looked around, and saw that there was an empty seat by Ken, sitting with Daisuke and Koushiro.

The redheads had their hands clasped together, and were sharing the same menu to decide what to have. He slid in next to Ken, and smiled at him. "I'd like to see them try to eat that way."

Brown eyes peered at him over the blue cardboard. "We could do it." His gaze held a challenge. 

"I'm sure you could." They returned to the menu, and he looked up. Ken was staring at him, his eyes dark. He noticed that the hands that held his menu seemed to tremble. "We need to talk."

The genius nodded, and moved to sit his menu down. Takeru placed a hand on his arm to stop him.   

"After we eat."

______________

Eating turned out to be a major event. The cook was unable to make such an amount without notice, and they got their food in groups of twos and threes. The eggs were runny, the toast burnt, and the only thing that turned out edible was the pre-packaged orange juice served to them in un-matching plastic cups.

Ken took a sip of his water and tried to keep his hand from shaking. Ever since the blonde had sat down next to him, he'd had a problem keeping his physical reaction under control. His whole body seemed wired in expectation, and the lack of contact seemed to heighten his awareness of every move Takeru made.

For his part, Takeru seemed to be unwilling to talk, and he answered Koushiro's questions about their plight with monosyllable replies. Daisuke seemed to know what was going on, and he kept smirking at them knowingly. To put an end to his smugness, Takeru finally asked the question that he had vaguely been wondering about.

"When did you two start going out?" His voice was curious. Black eyes met brown as the redheads looked at each other. With an uncertain glance, Koushiro drew his hand back and looked away.

Daisuke nudged him. "Move. Out of the booth, let's go." The genius stood up, and waited for Daisuke to follow. "We'll be back in a moment." With that, he grabbed Koushiro's hand, and drew him outside, leaving two half-eaten plates of food.

With an uncertain smile, Daisuke let the door to the restaurant close behind him as he and Koushiro stepped out into the sun. The computer genius was regarding him steadily, his dark eyes unfathomable. His hands were resting casually in his pockets, and to the world, he looked relaxed and calm. But Daisuke could tell that his breathing was a little to strained, and his pulse was almost ready to jump out of his neck.

After several moments of silence, Koushiro looked away, smiling sadly. "Maybe we should eat our food, Dai. Food's always a good thing."

"You don't think I'm stupid, do you?" It was almost more of a statement than a question, and black eyes peered at him wordlessly for a moment. 

"No, I don't. Your mind amazes me, Daisuke. You come up with some of the quirkiest things, plans, jokes, and all kinds of things. I don't think that a computer would hold all the stuff you have implanted in your brain." Daisuke grinned, blushing slightly at the compliment. 

The younger redhead straightened up, squaring his shoulders. "So, you've never thought that I was too stupid, and you've never doubted me?"

"I wouldn't go as far as saying that I've never doubted you, Dai." The black eyes were smiling at him now, Koushiro's lips turning up at the corner. "I'll put it this way. If I were stuck on a desert island with one person, and I wanted to either survive, or find a way off, I would want to be stuck with you. I think you could save the world better than I either Ken and I, simply because you wouldn't give up until you'd figured it out."

"I'm persistent, eh?" Koushiro nodded, eyeing Daisuke warily as he approached the older teen. "And I never give up, huh?" Another affirmation. "Then you'd just give in to me, because you know that an irresistible force cannot coexist with an immovable object."

"Laws of Physics. An object at rest will stay at rest until acted upon by an outside force." Daisuke circled around him, and started backing him toward the wall.

"And an object at motion will stay in motion until acted upon by an equal or greater force. Like a wall." He grinned devilishly as he cornered the genius, and pressed both palms against the wall on either side of him. "I think that a wall is definitely a greater force than you, 'Shiro." 

__________

Ken watched them go, and then glanced sideways at Takeru. The blonde turned toward him, and their knees touched, and Ken's blue-violet gaze darkened perceptibly. He'd managed to keep himself in a semblance of control through most of the meal, but he was slowly being driven insane.

"That was interesting." Takeru's voice dropped a few notches below normal conversation, until it sounded more like a whisper. His gaze was intense.

With some difficulty, Ken swallowed. "Yeah." His voice was husky, and he licked his lips. He slipped his left hand down into the seat between them, wanting to touch the blonde badly enough to risk it in public. He was saved from temptation when Daisuke dropped back into his seat with a grin. 

"Thirty seconds." Koushiro sat down as well, looking more than a little stunned. The look that Takeru gave him was blank, at best. With a glance at Koushiro, Daisuke picked up his hand again. "We've been going out for thirty seconds."

"That's nice." Takeru turned stiffly to sit straight in his seat. He placed both hands on the top of the table, and gripped them tightly about his water. "Congratulations, guys. It's great that you've decided to get together despite your differences."

Koushiro smiled teasingly, but Daisuke beat him to the joke. "I didn't have much of a choice. Either I asked him out, or he stopped tutoring me. My grades can't handle that."

"Smartass." Takeru studied them both, noticing the look of excitement and joy in their faces. He couldn't remember seeing either of them so happy or content.

"Brainiac." They laughed, sharing a look between them. His expression suddenly turning serious, Daisuke tugged on Koushiro's hand until the redhead leaned down, and he could whisper in his ear. "I love you."

He closed his black eyes, and when he opened them again, they were wet with unshed tears. "I love you, too."

"Get the kissing out of the way, and we can leave." Every one at their table turned to look with surprise at Tai. They'd been so immersed in the situation between Daisuke and Koushiro that they hadn't realized that everyone was heading out the door, and the waitress had already received payment for their food.                           

"Don't be such a jerk, Tai." Matt walked by, his expression annoyed. He glared at his best friend, and then smiled at his brother and the other three. "We're leaving. If you guys want to stay here, and find a ride later, that's fine, but we need to get back on the road. We have a good few hours left."

___________

Takeru sighed as they once again crammed into the car. This time, Sora, Jyou, Iori, and Hikari had called the back, claiming that it was their turn to lay down comfortably. Taker was stuck in the front seat with his brother and Tai, leaving Mimi, Miyako, Ken, Daisuke, and Koushiro in the middle seat. It didn't look comfortable. Mimi was on Miya's lap, Koushiro on Daisuke's, and Ken stuck against the door, behind Takeru. If the blonde hadn't know better, he would have thought that it was some form of conspiracy to keep him and Ken apart.

They didn't have a chance to talk to the genius after breakfast. His brother had been in a hurry, and they had been back on the road in two minutes, grumbling and complaining the entire time. With a grimace, he moved closer to the door, trying to remove Tai's elbow from his side. The brunette was staring out the windshield, his eyes as dark as Matt's, his body tense. Takeru knew from experience that something was going on, but he couldn't read his brother's moods as easily as he could Tai's. 

"Can you guys fit another person up there?" The voice was shot out by Miyako, as she tried to move her left leg to relieve the stiffness of her joints. "It's getting cramped back here. We should be able to fit four in a seat, and the back's full." Tai turned around and regarded her for a moment before looking at Matt. The blonde shrugged without turning away from the road. 

"Red rover, red rover, send the genius on over." He grinned at his own joke, and then tapped the blonde driver on the shoulder. "Pull over for a second, and Ken can squeeze out and fit up here with us." There was a sound of relief from the middle seat when the car stopped, and Ken opened his door. Takeru opened the front door for him, and moved over, shoving Tai against his brother as he did so. The genius looked at him shyly, got in, and shut the door. Takeru grunted as Tai moved him over, causing him to crush Ken against the door. "Make some room, TK."

After several more grunts, the four in the front seat settled down as much as possible, Tai turning a little in the seat to accommodate everyone, and turning his back to Takeru and Ken as he did. The dark-haired genius was trying to become part of the door as he tried to move out of contact with the blonde. Blue eyes looked up, and met his, and they both held their breaths for a moment. 

"What did you want to talk about?" Ken broke the silence between them, then jumped when Tai turned the radio on. Takeru licked his lips uncertainly, and glanced sideways at his brother and Tai. They were pointedly ignoring them, fazing them out to afford them some privacy. 

"I wanted to talk to you about…us…and what happened…and…stuff." He trailed off, swallowing hard when Ken frowned at him, first in confusion, then in mistaken understanding.

"Don't worry about it." He tried to shrug and turn away, but Takeru's body, pinned up against his, refused to allow him such movement. 

"It's not like that." He stared into his violet eyes intently, wanting him to fully realize how he felt. "The whole kissing thing. I like it. I like touching you, and being touched by you. I like kissing you, and being kissed by you. When we were back at the house, and I suggested not resting, and not going, I was hoping that you'd agree, and we could, you know, do more. But when you said no, and we went back to sleep, I was also relieved. Because I don't want that with you."

Ken winced, and tried to draw back, but Takeru brought his hand up, and forced his chin up so that he had no choice but to look at him. 

"I don't want only that with you. I don't want some dark night, when we're both a little on edge, to define everything that I could have with you. I want more. I want to talk with you, and be with you like we've been together these last couple of weeks. I want to be able to kiss you, and touch you, but I also want to know everything about you. What makes you happy, and what scares you. How you think, how you feel, where you're at. I want to be able to call you at nine o-clock at night, and say that I've missed you, and know that you feel the same."

He paused holding his breath as Ken stared at him in amazement. A shrill whistle caused them to snap out of their trance, and Takeru turned to glare at Daisuke. The people in the back of the car were looking at them, and clapping. Tai smiled smugly as he turned the radio back up, eyes twinkling. "Gods." Ken hid his blushing face in the crook of Daisuke's shoulder, his hand reaching for and grasping the blonde's. "Remind me to kill him later."  
  



	5. Home sweet home

Home sweet home

"How was your weekend, Ken?"

"Fine, Mom."

"Did you enjoy yourself, dear?"

"Yes, Mom."

"What's that on your neck, Ken?"

"This? Uh, nothing. I think a bug bit me, and I just scratched at it so much."

"It looks like a burn, honey. Let me look at it."

"No! I mean, really, it's nothing. Just a little bug bite. I'll be fine. Excuse me."

"Ken?"

_____________

"How are you friends, Koushiro?"

"They're fine, Mum."

"How are you doing, Daisuke?"

"Never better, Mrs. Izumi. We got Ken and TS back safe and sound. No problems."

"How's the car?"

"…"

"Koushiro? Are you okay?"

"…"

"Sorry, Mrs. Izumi. We had breakfast at this little pitstop restaurant. The food was really bad. On the way home, almost all of us got sick, but Koushiro, Iori, and Miyako couldn't hold it until we stopped the car. The back seats are a mess, but they've volunteered to come help clean up after they've gone home and rested."

"You seem fine, Daisuke."

"Yeah, well. I didn't eat that much, and it takes a lot more than some runny eggs to make me lose my breakfast."

"That's good, dear." Silence. "Why is he wearing your jacket?"

"…He was cold?"

"Are you blushing, dear?"

____________

"I wish that we'd met those bastards!"

"Stuff it, Matt. We got TK, and Ken, and we're all safe. Be happy."

"That's crap, Tai, and you know it. What happens if they come after him again?"

"…"

"Come on, Tai. Think about it. If they go after Ken again, do you really think that they'll manage to a) find him without TK, or b)leave my little brother alone after he's seen their faces."

"You, Ishida Yamato, are paranoid. Get over it."

"Why did you invite me up? You knew that I'd want to vent."

"Does the fact that we're best friends automatically mean that I have to listen to you every time you want to yell and scream at the world?"

"What does that mean? You have something else you want me to talk about?"

"I'll give you something to talk about."

"I didn't hear you. Stop mumbling."

"I said that we should drop this now, before we start fighting. Again."

"You're right. I'm sorry. I just feel so damn frustrated."

"Hey, I know. Remember? I've been here the entire time. Go ahead. Scream and holler until morning. Mom and Dad are gone, and Hikari's gone to spend the night with Miyako. You have the entire apartment to rant and rave through."

"What are you going to do? Leave, or ignore me?"

"I don't ignore you, Yama. I chose to refuse comment on some of the things you say. I'll sit right here, and you can do whatever the hell you want."

"Really? You mean, you'd sit there and let me eat all of the ice cream in your freezer?"

"…" Pause. "You wouldn't want it, any way. It's some kind of soy yogurt. Tastes really chalky."

"You know, earlier, when you said that I was just lonely?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, I think you're right. I'm just feeling a form of empty nest syndrome. You know, where all your kids up and leave? He's my little brother, and he's not little anymore, and now I don't know what to do with myself. None of my friends really need me. Hell, even you don't need me anymore."

"I need you in more ways than you could ever know."

"What? Stop mumbling, damn it! I can't carry on a conversation with you if I can't hear what you're saying."

"I said that you're still my best friend."

"Yeah, well. I've been thinking, since we talked…and I don't think we should be like we are now."

"…"

"Tai, don't leave! I didn't mean like that! Wait, please?"

"…"

"Listen. We've been friends for a really long time, and I know that we'd do damn near anything for each other, right? You know that I'd go to the ends of the earth for you, right?" Pause. Sigh. "Hell, I don't know anymore, Tai. I just know that that's not what I want anymore. It's not what I need any longer. But see, I don't know how you feel. I think that you're happy this way, and I don't want to ruin that by being selfish, but I can't help how I feel."

"Gods, Yama, don't cry!"

"I'm sorry. I just can't stop the way I feel…"

"…"

"…"

"Yama?"

"I'm so sor-"

"…"

"Tai?"

"Hell, Matt, I thought you were telling me that you didn't want anything more to do with me! If I had known that you wanted this…"

"I love you, Tai. As my best friend, and like…like this."

"You, Ishida Yamato, have no idea how long I've been waiting to hear that."

"…"

_________

"Your son has a hickey."

"Really? Ken, is that true?"

"…"

"I thought he spent the weekend with TK?"

"He did."

"So, where else did he go?"  
  


"No where. He was with TK, and TK only, the entire weekend."

"Really? But that means…"

"Yup."

"…"

"Listen, Dad, I'm really really sorry! It won't happen again!"

"Why not?"

"Why not what?"

"Why won't it happen again? I like your little blonde friend. He's always very polite, and he cares about you. I approve of him. Much better than Daisuke. He makes for a wonderful friend, but the boy is just a little too high strung for my tastes. I'd much rather you dated TK, than him."

"You're kidding me!"

"Ken, don't talk to your father that way! Of course we love Daisuke. We just don't think that the two of you would mix well, dating-wise." 

"…"

"So, when is he coming for dinner?"

"Dinner?"

"Yes, Ken. You know, that time in the evening when you eat. Invite him over for Tuesday. I'm sure that I could find something good to make. We can all sit down, and have a quiet conversation.

"…"

"Ken? Are you okay? You look a little red. Maybe you should lay down."

________

"So, Daisuke." 

"?"

"How long has this been going on?"

"What been going on, sir?"

"Don't play innocent with me, young man. My son comes home, wearing your jacket, and you swoon all over him to make sure that he's okay, and I'm not supposed to assume anything."

"You know what they say about assuming, dear."

"Go, Mum."

"And you, young man. Borrowing the car and throwing up in it. I wouldn't be surprised if you had an orgy in it."

"We didn't sir. Although I think Mimi and Miya would have liked that idea. Not to mention TX and Ken. Man, were they kissing like-"

"Shut up, Dai. Just shut up."

"Honey, be nice. In truth, Koushiro, love, we approve. We just want you to be happy. That's all we've ever wanted. If you're happy with Daisuke, then we're happy for the both of you."

"Mom! Dad!"

"Damn it, Daisuke, get off my parents!"


End file.
